Port-based surgery allows a surgeon, or robotic surgical system, to perform a surgical procedure involving tumor resection in which the residual tumor remaining after is minimized, while also minimizing the trauma to the intact white and grey matter of the brain. In such procedures trauma may occur, for example due to contact with the access port, stress to the brain matter, unintentional impact with surgical devices, and/or accidental resection of healthy tissue.
Minimally invasive brain surgery using access ports is a recently conceived method of performing surgery on brain tumors previously considered inoperable. To address intracranial surgical concerns, specific products such as the NICO BrainPath™ port have been developed for port-based surgery.
Referring to FIG. 1, the insertion of an access port into a human brain is shown for providing access to internal brain tissue during a medical procedure. In FIG. 1, access port 100 is inserted into a human brain 12, providing access to internal brain tissue. Surgical tools and instruments may then be inserted within the lumen of the access port in order to perform surgical, diagnostic or therapeutic procedures, such as resecting tumors as necessary.
As seen in FIG. 1, port 100 comprises of a cylindrical assembly formed of an outer sheath. Port 100 may accommodate an introducer which is an internal cylinder that slidably engages the internal surface of port 100. The introducer may have a distal end in the form of a conical atraumatic tip to allow for insertion into the sulcal folds of the brain 12. Port 100 has a sufficient diameter to enable bimanual manipulation of surgical tools within its annular volume such as suctioning devices, scissors, scalpels, and cutting devices.
Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary navigation system is shown to support minimally invasive access port-based surgery. As shown in FIG. 2, a surgeon 103 conducts a minimally invasive port-based surgery on a patient 120 in an operating room (OR) environment. A navigation system 107 comprising an equipment tower, tracking system, displays and tracked instruments assists the surgeon 103 during his procedure. An operator 121 is also present to operate, control and provide assistance for the navigation system 107.
A foot pedal 155 is placed near the surgeon's foot and is utilized to actuate different elements during the procedure. For example, foot pedal 155 may be used to lift or lower the surgical bed, or control zoom of the navigation system 107 or tracking system. In certain instances, multiple foot pedals may be deployed.
Conventional foot pedals used by a surgeon during a surgical procedure, particularly when multiple foot pedals are used, can be a distracting and menial task, given the surgeon must sometimes remove his focus from the surgical field of interest, resulting in the surgeon having to reorient himself when his attention is returned. Therefore, there is an opportunity for improvement in the area of surgical controls. Thus, there is a need for mechanism to provide improved functionality and replacement of the foot pedal.